Leave sex out of Senate race

There is always hope that discourse, in even a pitched election campaign, will be a high-minded debate between the contenders about solutions, policy and philosophy.

There is hope, too, that candidates themselves will keep to the high road. But this is New Jersey, and the Senate race between Cory Booker and Steve Lonegan veered sharply last week. Whether or not you expect to vote for him , it is Booker who continues to enjoy the view from the high road.

Irrelevant but recurring speculation about Booker's sexuality bubbled up once again - even though Booker has said he is straight. Lately - and refreshingly - he has refused to answer such questions, saying that a candidate's sexuality has no place in the campaign. We agree.

And Lonegan was apparently on board with that common sense approach.

"I don't really care about the guy's lifestyle," Lonegan said.

And that's where it should have ended. But for someone who doesn't really care about his opponent's "lifestyle," Lonegan sure has been busy studying up on Booker's personal grooming habits.

In a recent interview, the former Bogota mayor called Booker's remarks on his sexuality "kind of weird." First Lonegan said he didn't know whether Booker is gay. Then he discussed an old Booker interview in which the mayor discussed a preference for getting manicures and pedicures in the middle of the night in Newark.

Lonegan said his team looked, but was unable to locate, such a business in Newark that is open 24 hours a day. That's how Lonegan staffers are spending their time - tracking down all-night nail salons?

Lonegan continued: "As a guy, I personally like being a guy ... (Booker) likes to go out at 3 o'clock in the morning for a manicure and a pedicure. I don't like going out in the middle of the night, or any time of the day, for a manicure and pedicure ... I like a good scotch and a cigar. That's my fetish, but we'll just compare the two."

Let's not. Instead, how about a little analysis of Lonegan's pronouncement?

"As a guy, I personally like being a guy"

On the face of it, this sentence is next to meaningless. But if candidate Lonegan is attempting to drawing a distinction between a guy (played by him) and something else (Cory Booker), that's the sort of thing that makes us flinch.

"I like a good scotch and a cigar."

If this is Lonegan's definition of a man's man, we remind him to pursue those vices in moderation.

Whether you like his candidacy or not, what Lonegan did last week was prove the old adage: "It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt."

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Leave sex out of Senate race

There is always hope that discourse, in even a pitched election campaign, will be a high-minded debate between the contenders about solutions, policy and philosophy.

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